


Poison Envy

by EndigoLikesArson



Category: Milo Murphy's Law
Genre: Angst, Child Neglect, Fluff, Fluff I think, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Pining, Post-Canon, Post-Season/Series 02, i guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:20:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28508838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndigoLikesArson/pseuds/EndigoLikesArson
Summary: Bradley is envious of Milo and all the attention he gets, and soon he realizes his feelings are more than Envy. How will he deal with these newfound feelings? And how will he apologize for the horrible things he said?
Relationships: Bradley Nicholson & Zack Underwood, Melissa Chase & Bradley Nicholson, Milo Murphy/Bradley Nicholson
Comments: 11
Kudos: 17





	1. The normal routine

The sun was rising over Danville, kids, teens, and adults alike were waking up and getting ready for the day. Bradley was one of these teens as he groaned at the sound of his alarm. He begrudgingly got up and struggled as he grabbed to turn off the alarm, his plant arm was not cooperating with him. He groaned again and picked up the alarm and threw it across the room, it shattered at the impact with the wall. He sighed and went over to his closet, he got dressed in his usual flannel shirt. He went over to his nightstand and grabbed his glasses, putting them on. Bradley left his room and called out to his parents. "Mother, Father, have you two come home yet?"

…

There was no response, Bradley shook his head in disappointment. They had been gone for nearly a month now and Bradley was starting to get annoyed as this wasn't the first time they had done this. He just sighed and continued his morning routine as he went into the bathroom and brushed his teeth afterwards he headed downstairs towards the kitchen. He checked outside and he was correct, his parents car was gone indicating they hadn't come home yet. He made a mental note of it and continued into the kitchen. 

Bradley grabbed some mayo from the fridge, bread from the cupboard and then reached for a can of tuna but pulled out a jar of peanut butter instead. He glared at it, unsure of why they even had peanut butter. He was deathly allergic so one spoonful could kill him, that reminded him to grab his EpiPen. Bradley doubted anything would happen but he did go to school with Milo. He groaned at the reminder. ' _ Stupid Milo, always getting all the attention. Even from my brain! _ ' He thought bitterly. Bradley put the peanut butter back and grabbed the tuna and then began to make his sandwich. 

He finished packing his lunch, and the rest of his school supplies, he grabbed his EpiPen, then left his house making sure to lock it on the way out. He started walking to the bus stop. Bradley groaned silently when he noticed Milo was already there. He glared at Milo, who was chatting happily with Zack, Melissa and Mort. 

_ 'Really!? Mort too!'  _ Bradley thought bitterly.  _ 'Milo always gets all the attention… _ '

He continued to glare. It seemed Milo had noticed him.

"Hi Bradley!" He said with a cheerful smile.

"Hello Milo." Bradley sneered.

"Seriously Bradley, what's your problem with Milo!?" Melissa demanded.

"None of your business." Bradley responded with a glare.

Melissa rolled her eyes, Bradley did too and went back to waiting for the bus. 

"Oh come on! Not again!" He heard Zack call out then turned over to see a giant concert pipe come out of nowhere and start chasing Zack and Milo as they started running away from it.

"Honestly he should expect something to go wrong by now." Bradley commented. 

The bus arrived and everyone got on, Bradley sat in his usual spot and stared out the window. He took out a mp3 player out of his backpack and turned on some music. He sighed, no one had sat next to him, why would they? Bradley was a jerk.  _ 'This is your fault Bradley, you're so rude to everyone that they avoid you _ ' his mind told him.

It was right, he wanted friends and yet he always pushed them away… he didn't know why, why he was such a jerk, why he always pushed everyone away, why he was so useless, why he-. His thoughts were interrupted by the bus arriving at school. He put away his mp3 player and grabbed his backpack and got up heading off the bus. 

He took about three steps off the bus before he heard a scream from a familiar disaster child. "BRADLEY! RUN!" 

He turned to see Milo, and Zack, being chased by a pack of wolves. Bradley screamed and started running. Eventually Milo and Zack were at the same pace as him. 

"WHY, OUT OF EVERYONE DID  _ I  _ HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO GET ROPED INTO THIS MESS!?" Bradley questioned angrily.

"Sorry Bradley!" Milo said before starting to rummage through his bag, he pulled out a jar of peanut butter before immediately putting it back and rummaging through the bag again.

Bradley groaned and searched through his own bag for anything he could use. He pulled out a ball he had forgotten he had put in there.  _ 'I hope this works _ ' 

He lifted the ball above his head and the wolves immediately stopped, staring at it. Bradley sighed in relief as he came to a halt. He threw the ball in a random direction opposite of the school, accidentally hitting Elliot as the wolves ran after the ball and the crossing guard ran from them.

"...oops"

"SORRY ELLIOT!" Milo called out. "Well, we should head to school now that that's over"

Milo started on his way, Zack following. Bradley joined as well, he would never admit it but he was amazed at how calm Milo was. 

"So, Milo, why didn't you use the peanut butter?" Zack questioned.

"Oh! Bradley is allergic and I didn't want to risk anything with Murphy's Law." Milo answered.

"How did you know I was allergic?" Bradley questioned raising a brow.

"Because of how unpredictable Murphy's Law can be I started keeping track of everyone's allergies just in case!" He answered.

"That… makes sense" Bradley said and the three continued on to school. 

Second period rolled around and Bradley took his seat and waited for everyone else to arrive. The clock above the door fell indicating Milo had arrived, and he had as the disaster child entered the class and went to his desk, he was chatting with his two friends.

_ 'Of course, Milo is as happy as can be with friends while creating problems for other people' _ Bradley thought bitterly as he glared at the boy in question.  _ 'Why does Milo get all the attention? All he does is cause problems! I bet he does it on purpose… _ ' His bitter thoughts continued. 

Milo must have noticed him staring as before Bradley knew it the boy was walking over to him.

"Hi Bradley!" He greeted him with a cheerful smile.

"Do you want something?" Bradley questioned.

"Well, you were glaring at me so I assumed that you wanted something."

_ 'I want friends like you, I want the attention you get' _ his mind spoke but he himself was silent for a few seconds. "I just am preparing myself for any potential disaster."

Bradley finally answered. 

"Oh alright!" Milo headed back to his desk.

Bradley stared for a few seconds before pulling out a book and starting to read it in an attempt to distract himself from his thoughts.

It was a few minutes into class before Murphy's Law struck causing a toxic chemical to spill. The school had to evacuate and called hazard control to come and clean it up. School was dismissed early and Bradley began waiting for the bus home but, of course, Milo had to be near him and Murphy's Law just had to be in effect as Milo shoved Bradley out of the way just in time for a satellite to come crashing down in the place Bradley previously stood.

Milo stood up and put a hand out to Bradley offering to help him up. "Are you okay?" He asked, a look of concern in his eyes.

Bradley hesitated for a second before taking Milo's hand. "I'm fine" he paused, and shifted awkwardly to the side "and uh, thanks for that"

"No problem!" Milo smiled and let go of Bradley's hand.

Bradley hadn't even realized he was still holding it, and he didn't realize until Milo had pulled away how much he graved touch from another person. Bradley shook it off and went back to waiting for the bus as Milo went back to his friends.

The bus ride home was uneventful due to Murphy's Law causing Milo to miss it. Bradley's walk home was interrupted by meowing coming from a box. He narrowed his eyes at the box as he bent down to examine it. Another meow came from the box and Bradley opened it, inside was a small tuxedo kitten. There was also a piece of paper inside, he grabbed it. It read:

_ To whoever finds this box, please take care of these kittens. _

_ 'Kittens?' _ Bradley wondered, noting the singular kitten in the box. He assumed that the others had already been taken. Bradley looked at the kitten again before gently picking it up out of the box and continuing home.

He unlocked his door and stepped inside his house, Bradles parents had still yet to come home. He sighed and headed into his room. He looked at the kitten in his arms and it looked back at him… they stared at each other for a few seconds before Bradley set the kitten down on the floor. He had nothing dangerous so the kitten would be fine. Bradley took out his phone and started looking up what to do if you find an abandoned kitten/how to take care of a kitten. 

The kitten in question looked about 7 weeks old so it was able to eat hard food. Bradley sighed again and looked through his contacts for someone who could help. His eyes narrowed when he noticed Milo was one of them.  _ 'Oh yeah, I got his number for a group project awhile back' _ he remembered and considered calling him. Bradley shook his head, he didn't want to risk anything. He decided to call Mort.

"Hello?" His voice sounded slightly confused.

"Hey Mort, I found this abandoned kitten and need help taking care of it." Bradley said, getting straight to the point.

"Okay, do you know how old it is and such?" The other boy asked.

"Not 100% sure but it looks about 7 weeks old." He answered.

"Alright then, I'll be over soon… your parents aren't home are they?"

"Nope, you're good."

"Okay, see you soon"

"See you soon"

Mort hung up the phone and Bradley looked back at the kitten. It was playing with the laces on his pair of shoes.

_ 'What am I going to name you?' _ He wondered to himself, he decided he can find a name while waiting for Mort to arrive.

After a lot of thinking and other name ideas Bradley Finally settled on a name he liked.

"Gizmo, I'll call you Gizmo." He said to the kitten, it meowed to him in response.

Bradley gave a soft smile then he heard his front door knock.

_ 'Mort must be here'  _ he thought to himself as he scooped up Gizmo and headed to his front door. 

Bradley double checked and sure enough it was Mort and he had a few bags with him, Bradley opened the door and let him inside.

"Thanks for coming over."

"No problem bud!" Mort smiled then looked at Gizmo "So this is the little guy?"

Bradley nodded. "I named them Gizmo."

"Good name, now, I brought some food and toys for them, and some bowls for the food and water too of course." Mort said.

"Thank you, I don't know what I would have done if you didn't have any of this." Bradley said.

Mort nodded and the two began setting up a small corner in Bradley's room for the kitten. Mort couldn't provide a litter box but he did have puppy training pads and they decided it was good enough for now. 

"Call me if you run out of cat-food or if you need anything else." Mort said as he got ready to leave.

"Will do, and thanks again for coming over and helping me." Bradley responded.

"It was no problem! Anyways, I'll see you at school!" Mort waved goodbye as he started walking home.

Bradley waved back before closing, and locking, the door and heading back into his room. Gizmo was playing with a jingly ball that Mort had brought. He smiled softly, although he was slightly scared for when his parents did eventually get home. He was scared that they would take Gizmo away or do something bad to them. Bradley shook his head at the thought, he wouldn't let that happen. Anyways, he doubted they would even notice Gizmo… he hoped they wouldn't notice Gizmo…

He sighed and checked the time.

_ '9pm already!? I guess Mort was here for awhile'  _ Bradley went off and started getting ready for bed, brushing his teeth, getting into pajamas, etc. He layed down and closed his eyes, opening them when we felt his bed get slightly heavier only to see Gizmo curling up next to him. Bradley scratched behind their ear before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.


	2. Anger, Regret, forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bradley makes a mistake

It was the second period, it  _ should  _ have been a normal day, but, of course Milo had to be in his class as all the lights in the room shattered, a desk exploded, and the room was now a mess. Bradley groaned as he helped clean up. Milo accidentally bumped into him. "Sorry." He said with a small smile. Bradley rolled his eyes as Milo continued to talk. "Murphy's Law can just be so unpredictable and I packed my backpack for my plans later today instead of school so-"

"Can you shut up for one second!?" Bradley sneerd.

Milo flinched a tiny bit. "Oh, im sorry"

"You're  _ always _ sorry, "sorry I broke your bike", "sorry I exploded the table", "sorry I lead of pack of wild wolves towards you", "sorry I caused an apocalypse of sentient pistachios and now you are cursed with a plant arm", sorry can't fix everything! Other people are affected by Murphy's Law and it has lasting consequences! The world doesn't revolve around you! You aren't the main character, you can't expect to say sorry and everyone to suddenly like you!" Bradley snapped.

Milo was visibly upset, tears were streaming down his face. "I-Im s-sor-ry" his voice was shaky.

Melissa and Zack came up to Milo to comfort him.

"Look what you've done Bradley! You're such a jerk! Milo doesn't do it on purpose!" Melissa glared at Bradley.

The boy looked away, Melissa was right, he had gone too far…    
He opened his mouth to apologize but no words came out so he just ducked his head and went away, ‘ _ good job Bradley! This is exactly why people don't like you!’  _ His mind told him. He sighed, it was right. He shouldn't have yelled at Milo like that, he guessed it was because he bottled up how he felt but that didn’t excuse his actions. It didn't excuse him yelling and snapping at Milo. He sighed and continued to help clean up the classroom, silently avoiding everyone else. 

It was lunch now, Bradley looked over to where Milo was sitting. He looked happy, he was smiling and laughing. Bradley sighed in relief.  _ 'He looks better.'  _ Bradley thought to himself with a small smile.  _ 'I still need to apologize… maybe I should buy him something! But what does Milo like?'  _ He wondered and sighed, silently cursing himself for not accepting Milo's friendship.  _ 'Maybe Amanda would know.'  _ He thought to himself and looked around for her. Bradley eventually spotted her talking with Lydia. He got up and walked over to the two, Amanda noticed and gave him a confused look.   
“Hey, Amanda, I-” He sighed. “I yelled at Milo earlier and- well- I want to get him an apology gift but I don’t know what he likes.” 

Amanda glared at him for a few seconds before speaking. “He likes Dr. Zone and the Krill hunter movies, try getting him something related to them.”

Bradley nodded. “Thanks Amanda.”

Amanda nodded and went back to talking with Lydia as Bradley went back to where he was sitting.  _ “Okay, so something Dr. Zone or Krill hunter related... ‘  _ He wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to get but at least now he had a small idea. 

School was out and Bradley was waiting for the bus, Milo and his friends were nearby chatting. They were close enough that Bradley could hear what they were talking about.

“I got Sara a limited edition Dr. Zone files files book! I had got one for myself too but, you know, Murphy's Law!” Milo said with an optimistic grin although it seemed to retreat for a split second at the mention of Murphy’s Law.

“Hey, Milo, are you okay? You were pretty upset earlier…” Zack asked, concerned in his eyes.

Bradley looked away and stared at the ground in shame.   
“Im fine! It wasn’t even that bad… I mean Elliot once said that the world would be better off without me so Bradley could have said a lot worse…” Milo sighed. “Anyways, he wasn’t completely wrong, saying sorry doesn’t just fix everything. I understand why Braldey would be upset, he has to deal with his plant arm and I could only imagine how hard that would be..”

“But he shouldn't act like it's your fault!” Melissa said, she sounded slightly annoyed.

“I know that! I'm just saying that he has every right to be upset, maybe not at  _ me  _ but he shouldn't be hated for having emotions!” Milo said.

_ ‘Why is he defending me? Why does he care…. Do they even realize i'm here?’  _ he wondered and glanced over at the trio. 

“Okay, but-” Melissa was interrupted as she noticed Bradley, then the other two saw him.

Bradley quickly looked away and at the ground, he was genuinely scared of what they were going to say or do next. They all sat in silence, a very awkward silence, luckily the bus arrived shortly after the silence began and Bradley got on, heading to his usual spot. 

Milo's friend group passed him when getting to their seats, Bradley noticed Milo give him a concerned glance as he passed. Bradley sighed and pulled out his mp3 player and put on some music. He stared at the window as the bus started its route towards everyone's bus stops.

When Bradley got home he immediately checked on Gizmo. Bradley had put the kitten in a, fairly big, cage while he was at school for its own safety. He let the kitten out of the cage and refilled its water and food. He then went into his closet and took out a loose floorboard. Unde it was a box, he searched through the box until he found what he was looking for. His savings… Bradley had been saving up money he had found or was given, it was mostly in case he ran out of food before his parents got home but he figured this was a good time to use it. Bradley took out his phone and started searching for the ‘limited edition Dr. Zone files files book’ that Milo had mentioned at the bus stop. After a lot of searching he eventually found it, surprised to see it was relatively cheap. He looked at where it was and it said a nearby store had copies. He got up and ready to leave, putting Gizmo back into his cage to make sure they didn’t break anything or get themself hurt, then he set off towards the store.

  
  


It was the next day, Bradley held a plastic bag containing the Dr. Zone book he had bought in his arms as he waited for Milo at the bus stop. Bradley assumed he and the others had been caught up in some Murphy's Law adventure. His assumption was proven correct when he spotted Milo pop out of a manhole and start heading towards the bus stop. Bradley noticed that Melissa and Zack weren't with him.

Bradley turned towards Milo and opened his mouth to speak but no words came out, he sighed and tried again. "He-hey Milo."  _ 'Oh god why did you stutter' _ he questioned, slightly panicky which seemed to answer the question.

"Hey Bradley!" Milo said with a smile and as if yesterday never happened.

Bradley handed the bag he had towards Milo. "I uh- well I- I-" He didn't know why he found it so hard to speak it that moment but it was, to Bradley it seemed impossible to form a complete sentence. "I am really sorry about yesterday…" He finally managed to say. "I didn't mean to snap at you, I just- Im sorry…" He didn't bother trying to try and say he was angry or annoyed, because although he was Bradley knew it wasn't an excuse.

"Bradley, you didn't have to get me something… you apologising is good enough, I forgive you." Milo said.

"Just… take the gift…"

Milo did and opened it, he immediately had a big smile upon seeing what it was. "The limited edition Dr. Zone files files!? How did you know I wanted this?"

"I well- I overheard you talking about it yesterday and figured it would be a good apology gift." Bradley explained.

"Thanks Bradley." Milo smiled again.

Bradley nodded then looked around. "So, where are Melissa and Zack?"

"Oh! Well yesterday we were at the lake and they both ended up falling in, no one got hurt but they both ended up catching a cold." Milo explained.

Bradley nodded again, he wasn't sure what to say…

"Milo… why did you forgive me?" He eventually asked.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because i'm a jerk, I get annoyed at you or mad at you for something you can't control… I say rude things to you, heck yesterday I made you cry so why defend me yesterday!? Why forgive me!?" Bradley asked, he almost sounded desperate for an answer.

Milo looked down. "Bradley, out of all the people who have not liked me you are the least rude. Like I said yesterday, Elliot said the world would be better off without me… he isn't the only one to have said something like that. Older kids tell me way worse things when I pass by them on the street… not all my injuries have been caused by Murphy's Law but most have definitely been blamed on it. And unlike everyone else you have, and are, actually making an effort to apologize or at the very least tolerate my existence…" Milo looked, sad… Bradley had never seen him like  _ this  _ before, he felt concern for his classmate as Milo went on. "It also wasn't just you that day, earlier some kids from the higher grades had said some…  _ things _ … to me and so it just wasn't a good day… And anyways Bradley, we are  _ teenagers, _ our ages aren't exactly known for being rational." Milo said, he had been serious the entire time, except for the end where he finished it off with a small laugh.

Bradley thought about what he said and nodded. "Milo… I- I want to be your friend!" He said, although hesitantly.

"Really!?" Milo had a surprised smile.

Bradley nodded. "Yeah!"

"You aren't afraid of Murphy's Law?"

"I am… but I'm not going to let it stop me!" Bradley said, determined. He didn't know where he got this newfound confidence. Maybe it was because it was just the two of them, maybe it was because he wanted to be one less hurtful person in his life, maybe it was because he wanted to protect Milo from those types of people. He didn't care what it was from, he just knew he may have finally gotten another friend.

Milo smiled and hugged Bradley, he flinched a small bit at the touch and Milo immediately backed away.

"Sorry-" he started but Bradley interrupted him.

"No- no- it's fine, just give a warning next time you are going to hug me or something similar."

Milo nodded. "So, can I hug you?"

"Yeah…" Bradley answered.

Milo then hugged him, he hugged back. In all honesty Bradley didn't want to let go, he wanted to stay in that moment forever. He didn't know why exactly, he could only guess because it was rare that he got this kind of affection from another person or maybe it was because of Milo himself. Either way Bradley felt a pang of sadness when Milo pulled away from the hug.

Milo either didn't notice or didn't say anything about it, the slightly concerned look on his face caused Bradley to assume it was the latter. Either way the two went back to waiting for the bus, Milo had put the book Bradley got him in his backpack for safe keeping. When the bus arrived and the two got on Milo had sat next to Bradley.

"It's kinda weird but nice to have someone actually sit next to me." Bradley stated.

Milo cave him another concerned look. "What do you usually do on the bus?" 

"Listen to music." Bradley answered.

"Ooo! We should listen to music together! I'm interested in what kind of music you like." Milo said.

Bradley was surprised but took out his mp3 player and his pair of earbuds. He handed one side to Milo and put his side on then went to turn on the music. Bradley was worried that Milo wouldn't like his taste in music but mentally sighed in relief when he saw him nodding along to the beat and smiling. Bradley gave a small smile and started nodding along to the beat with him. They continued like this the entire bus ride.

Luch rolled around and Bradley sat next to Milo, who smiled when he saw Bradley sit next him. Bradley didn't have much if a lunch that day, just an apple and some bread… just two slices of plain white bread. Milo took note of it and asked him about it.

"Oh, my parents haven't gone to the store yet so im rationing the food." Bradley lied… well he wasn't lying completely, he  _ was  _ rationing the food he had.

"Well, You can have some of my lunch. It doesn't have any peanuts in it so you don't have to worry about that." Milo offered with a smile.

Bradley was taken aback, he had never really  _ accepted  _ the fact that Milo was actually a nice person until now.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! You need it more than I do!" Milo reassured him.

Bradley nodded. "Thanks Milo."

"No problem!"

The two started to eat, Milo doing as he offered and letting Bradley take some of his food. The boy hadn't realized how hungry he actually was until then. He ate his lunch quiet fast which earned a concerned look from Milo. Luckily, or maybe not so luckily, Milo didn't ask him about it.

"So, I have never seen Dr. Zone, what's it about?" Bradley questioned.

"You have never seen Dr. Zone!?" Milo asked with a look of surprise.

Bradley shook his head no.

"Well it's really good!” Milo began to excitedly tell Bradley about the show, he looked super happy while doing it and Bradley couldn’t help but smile fondly at this.  _ ‘He is so cute when he's excited’  _ He thought to himself before being utterly confused. ‘ _ Wait..? cute!? Why did I call Milo cute!?’  _ he wondered frantically. He shook it off and continued to listen to Milo. Eventually when he was done talking about The Dr Zone Files they went back to a somewhat normal conversation and about after school plans.

“Hey Bradley, do you want to hang out after school?” Milo asked

“Sure, just gotta do some stuff at my house first.” Bradley answered with a nod.

“Can I come with you?”

Bradley thought about it for a moment, it  _ would  _ be nice to have Milo with him, especially if his parents were home. They would never risk ruining their perfect reputation but on the other hand he was slightly worried about Murphy's law. Milo must have sensed his hesitance.

“It's okay, I can wait for you at the park or something.” Milo said with a smile.

“No no, it's fine Milo, you can come. It will be a quick visit anyways.” Bradley respond

Milo nodded. “Alright then!”

They sat next to each other on the bus ride home, Murphy's Law did cause a few minor incidents such as a tire coming off and traffic lights to go out but other than that it was surprisingly peaceful. The bus arrived at their stop and the two got off, Bradley started heading for his house and Milo followed. Murphy’s Law caused a nearby fire hydrant to burst and the two got drenched in water.    
“Good thing we are almost to my house.” Bradley said.

“Good thing I always pack an extra set of clothes” M   
They arrived at his house shortly after, Bradley reached for his keys and groaned in annoyance when he dropped them while trying to unlock the door. MIlo picked up his keys for him and unlocked the door.

“Thanks.” Bradley said with a small smile.

“No problem!” Milo responded and gave him his keys back.

Bradley headed to his room, Milo following behind. He opened the door and immediately headed over to Gizmos cage to let them out and clean the cage, he also refilled the food and water. Milo was looking around the room and smiled when he saw Gizmo.

“I didn’t know you had a cat!” Milo said as he started to play with them.

“Yeah, their name is Gizmo, I found them a couple of days ago when walking home.” Bradley explained. 

Milo nodded and continued to play with Gozmo. Bradley continued fixing up the kitten's cage. Once he was done he set his backpack down and sighed at his drenched clothes. “Uh, Milo, can you leave the room for a second? I kinda need to change”

Milo nodded. “I need to get changed too anyways.” he said and left the room, presumably heading for the bathroom.

Bradley changed into a new set of clothes and sighed at his flannel being drenched, he loved that thing and hated not being able to wear it especially since it helped cover where his plant arm and skin connected. He sighed and searched his closet for something he could use instead.

“Bradley? Are you done changing?” Milo asked and knocked on his door.

_ ‘Shit- what do I say?’  _ Bradley thought panickedly, he didn’t want Milo to see his arm and not just because of the plant thing. He looked to his door then back to his closet before shaking his head.

“Just give me a few minutes!” Bradley answered and continued to search for something to cover his arm. He finally managed to find a hoodie, he put it on. It was a little small but it would do its job.

He put Gizmo back in his cage and then opened the door, leaving his room. He looked around for Milo before spotting him at the entrance. He waved at him and Bradley waved back.

“Are you ready?” Milo asked. Bradley nodded in response.

“Then let's get going!” Milo held a hand out and Bradley took it, he then started leading Bradley out the house and around town as the two began to spend the rest of the day together.


	3. Everyone just vibes

Bradley waited for Milo at the bus stop, a small smile was on his face. He was wearing a yellow sweater… why? Well because his usual clothes were in the dryer… and because Milo said it looked nice on him. He didn't know why that meant so much to him but it did. Bradley was feeling pretty good after yesterday, he never knew how fun it was to hang out with Milo until then. Bradley was also a little nervous, Melissa and Zack would probably be back to school today and he didn't know how they would react to him. He sighed, Bradley doubted Milo would let his friends be mean to him… but what if he did? What if he was just pretending to be nice to him? What if Milo actually hated him? What if-

"Hey Bradley!" His thoughts were interrupted by a cheery voice.

"Hey Milo!" Bradley smiled, his anxieties fading a bit.

Melissa and Zack were behind him, they gave Bradley a weird look and suddenly all his anxieties had come back. Milo seemed to have noticed as he turned to his friends.

"Oh yeah, you two don't know what happened yesterday!" Milo remembered as he began to explain how Bradley had apologized and how they had hung out the entire day.

"Okay, but there is something I have to do first." Melissa said and went over to Bradley, who was semi panicking in his head. He expected her to yell, scream, interrogate him something but instead she lightly punched his shoulder. Bradley let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. 

"There, now Milo, do you have the stuff for the meeting today?" Melissa asked.

"Oh! Of course!" Milo smiled.

Bradley gave a confused look. As the three friends started to talk about some meeting, apparently Amanda was also a part of it. Bradley was trying to figure out what the meeting was about until Melissa said something that caught his attention.

"I'm glad there is nothing awkward with you and Amanda."

Milo nodded. "Of course! It would be wrong of me to make a big deal out of it."

"wait, happened between you and Amanda?" Bradley questioned.

"Oh, me and Amanda broke up." Milo explained. 

"Oh." Bradley didn't know why but finding out that Milo and Amanda broke up made him a tiny bit happy.  _ 'That's rude Bradley, you can't just be happy that a healthy relationship broke apart.' _ His mind scolded him.

The three friends continued to talk about the mysterious meeting more while Bradley listened, he was starting to feel as though he wasn't supposed to be there and like he was being purposely ignored. The bus arrived and Bradley sat in his usual spot, a small smile appeared on his face when Milo sat next to him. Melissa and Zack were sitting in front of them. "So, Bradley, what's with the new outfit?" Zack questioned.

"Murphy's Law caused my old clothes to get soaked and they are still in the dryer." He answered.

"You look like a lemon." Melissa joked.

Bradley glared at her while Milo defended him. "I think he looks nice!"

Bradley smiled at the compliment. "Thank you Milo."

Milo nodded and the four began to chat about Murphy's Law and some of the adventures it caused. Bradley wasn't that surprised at some of the stuff he heard about. Like when Milo went to Lard World and caused the rollercoaster to break or when they went camping and Milo started sleep walking. He may have been a bystander in most of Murphy's Law but even he had seen it do some crazy stuff. Like when he was hanging out with Milo yesterday and they got stuck in the swears, some rat man named Scott that Milo apparently knew helped them get out. There was also the classic being chased by a large object, things falling from the sky, and things exploding. A day only normal for someone like Milo. Bradley didn't know why but being next to Milo, and talking to him, made him nervous when it didn't before. At least not  _ this _ kind of nervous, he wasn't scared of what Milo thought of him before, if said the wrong thing, but now he was… he was scared but for some reason it was only Milo he was nervous about. Milo was the only one who gave him butterflies, the only one who made him blush when he smiled.  _ 'Why do I feel this way!? Why am I so scared!? _ ' He was super confused.

The day went by pretty normally. During the passing period Bradley noticed a poster on the wall. It read: " _ 'LGBTQ+ Safe place' is exactly how it sounds a safe place to discuss your issues or vent, it's also a nice hangout! Are you an ally that just wants to support your LGBTQ+ friends? You are welcome to join! We have an array of different people! Join 'LGBTQ+ safe' place today!  _ _ Everyone is welcome!"  _

On it was also a room number, Bradley stared at it, wondering if he should join it.  _ 'Maybe it will help me understand my feelings' _ he thought to himself. He sighed and wrote down the room number and time it started, there was stuff during lunch and stuff after school. He then continued to his next class as if nothing happened. 

The next classes went by pretty slowly, nothing too interesting. There were some Murphy's Law incidents but nothing too damaging. Eventually lunch rolled around and Bradley headed to the room mentioned on the poster. He didn't realize until he got to it but it was Mr. Drako's room. He went to open the door but pulled his hand back in hesitation. He took in a sharp breath and opened the door, entering the room. All eyes were immediately on him, he noticed many familiar faces. Amanda, Melissa, Zack, and Milo. Mr. Drako was obviously also there. He gulped, not knowing what to say. 

"Well this is an interesting turn of events." Melissa commented.

"Hey Bradley! Welcome! Come sit by me!" Milo offered.

Bradley nodded and sat next to him. 

Amanda went over to him.

"Hello! I'm going to need your name, pronouns and sexuality!"

Bradley looked at her. "Uh- Bradley, he/him, straight- gay- I don't know."

"Alright so questioning, thank you." She went back to her seat.

Bradley was still very confused, and visibly nervous. Milo scooted his desk closer to Bradley's. As Mr. Drako began talking. Bradley was so focused on the boy next to him that he had trouble paying attention, but he was talking about some after school thing they were doing. He would have to figure it out later. The teacher stopped talking announcing that everyone can just talk amongst themselves.

"So, Bradley, do you know anything about the LGBTQ+ community?" Milo questioned, it was genuine curiosity.

"Not much…" Bradley admitted.

"Well, I can help!" Milo said, he started explaining the different sexuality's, genders, and terms answering any questions Bradley had.

"So, what's Bisexual again?" He asked.

"It's when you are attracted to two or more genders." Milo explained.

Bradley nodded.  _ 'Is that what I am?' _ He wondered. 

"...what are you and the others?"

"Oh! Well im Pan, Melissa is Bi, Zack is questioning and Amanda is Lesbian." Milo answered.

Bradley nodded again. This was all so new to him but he did want to learn more and hang out with everyone. This place seemed pretty welcoming and he felt safe around them. Bradley let a small smile form on his face, it was nice to not be afraid of what others thought of him. Milo had a wide smile and the two began to talk more.

School ended and everyone headed to the park, they had supplies. According to Milo everyone was here to help put up posters. The posters were numbers and addresses and such for local shelters that took in LGBTQ youth who had been kicked out of their homes. Amanda had offered, and was, putting posters all around the streets. Bradley sighed as he looked at the poster in his hand.  _ 'I wonder what my parents would think. I wonder if-' _ his thoughts were cut off when Murphy's Law struck and Him and Milo fell into a large hole. The supplies they were holding went everywhere while Bradley groaned and looked around in confusion, having somehow forgotten about Murphy's Law. 

"Are you okay Bradley!?" Milo asked worriedly as he held a hand out for him.

Bradley took it and nodded. "Yeah, just startled."

The two looked around and they heard Melissa calling from above. They looked up to see the rest of the group looking down at them. Milo took out a rope and tossed one end up to them, Zack took it and went off presumably to tie it somewhere. Milo and Bradley began gathering up the supplies and tossing it up to the others, they then began their climb up to the surface. 

"Why is there even a giant hole in the park anyways?" Bradley questioned. Milo shrugged and everyone continued on their way.

They eventually finished putting up the posters and were now eating ice-cream together sitting in the grass at the park. Something had been flying overhead as Milo was drenched in water from the sky. "Oh well, I'm going to go find a bathroom so I can get changed." He said and ran off.

"Soooo, Bradley, what's with you and Milo?" Melissa questioned in a smug tone.

"What!? Nothing! We are just friends!" Bradley quickly defended himself.

"That reaction says that  _ something  _ is going on." Melissa said.

"I- well- er- its nothing!" Bradley didn't realize it but he was blushing in embarrassment.

"You like him! Don't you!" Melissa asked with a knowing smirk. 

“I- UH- SHUT UP!” 

“AHA! I'M RIGHT!”    
“F-fine you are! But don’t tell him! Please!” Bradley gave up on trying to hide it.

“Tell him? No! Well maybe- I want to help you.” 

“Really? why?”

“Because you are lonely.” Melissa answered with a straight face.

Zack, who had been watching the whole thing play out, started laughing while Bradley growled in annoyance. Milo came back with a fresh set of clothes and looked at the group. 

“Are you guys making fun of Bradley again?” He questioned.   
“What no!” Melissa responded in a joking/sarcastic tone.

“Guys! We want him to like us!” Milo pouted.

“He likes you.” Melissa said and smirked at Bradley who now had an angry and embarrassed face.

“Yeah but what about you guys!” He said, not picking up on what Melissa was implying.

Bradley stared spacing out as Milo continued to try and convince the others to be nicer. His thoughts started out peaceful, wondering what he was going to do later, what happened at school that day, songs he had gotten stuck in his head… but soon the thoughts became worse… what if his parents were home already, what if everyone was only pretending to like him, what if people were talking about him behind his pack. His fear of these thoughts happening must have been visible as Milo tapped him on the shoulder. Bradley jumped, startled and looked at the boy who had a concerned face.

“Are you okay?” Milo asked.

Bradley nodded. “Just lost in thought.”

“Well, we Melissa and Zack have to go so it's just us for now.” Milo said and gestured to the mentioned teens. They were waving goodbye as they started walking away. “I was going to go find Amanda and see what she was doing and was wondering if you wanted to come with me.” He added.

“Sure.” Bradley said.

the two boys started heading for the exit of the park, Bradley smiled lightly as he watched Milo cheerfully skip along the path. He didn’t know why but being around Milo made him happy, it helped him forget about his anxious thoughts and helped him just live in the moment. There was no denying it, Bradley had a crush on Milo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone being happy this chapter!
> 
> *looks at plans for next chapter*
> 
> ohno


End file.
